


Planet's Own

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: That's Just Life [13]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Japanese Mythology, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AVALANCHE Meets The Avengers, Alternate Universe - Past Lives, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Final Fantasy VII Rare Pair Week, Multi, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Vincent Valentine Centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-24 01:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13800675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: AVALANCHE meets The Avengers; it goes about as well as can be expected.Day 6 of FFVII Rarepair Week: Meeting in Another World/Crossovers





	Planet's Own

**Author's Note:**

> I have no clue why this ate my Muses the way it did other than the fact that Black Panther may or may not have restored my faith in the MCU. 
> 
> Enjoy?

* * *

**-Tokyo, Japan, 2007-**

Working the graveyard shift at a museum, Vincent doesn't meet too many people. It helps keep his sleeping patterns level though and he wants that; the night terrors are bad enough when he oversleeps by an hour. 

The terrors visit one member of the Valentine family every generation. 

Vincent's Uncle had gone looking for answers in science; science couldn't find one and so Slyph Valentine passes away with the terrors still haunting him. 

Vincent is the one to get them next, as the eldest of the new generation and he prefers it that way. He loves his family, though to others it may seem stilted, but enough that he takes on the burden with a muted silence on the matter. 

He's marked by these terrors, as all before him, with the appearance of glowing red eyes in place of his family's usual wine or whiskey eye colors. 

His Uncle tried with science; perhaps Vincent will have better luck with the supernatural. 

He can only hope.

* * *

On his day off, he visits the shrine of Inari, clapping his hands twice and quietly telling the Goddess his problem as he leans against the shrine carefully. 

"I'm not asking for aid or help, I think," he starts out, "I just want a sympathetic ear and you seem the least inclined to bite me for it in the long run." 

The chimes of the shrine tinkle, which Vincent takes a sign to proceed. He's never talked this much to anything not human but he feels like this is important. 

"My family has... well, everyone calls them terrors, really. They haunt a male relative of mine and have for decades, if not centuries. Lately though, I've been mulling over what I can sift out from the awful and they seem... more memory than terror. Horrible, agony-inducing memories, perhaps, but memories nonetheless; though who they belong to is one more mystery in all of it." 

«Seventeen generations and it's the one who shares his name that figures it out, hmm?» The female voice has him whirling to take in a beautiful fox maiden, her form outlined with tiny blue flames. 

"Inari-sama." He scrambles to get up and she waves his attempt away with a delicate white hand. 

«Peace, young Valentine,» Inari says and Vincent settles back down with an inquiring hum, «Slyph chose the worst possible avenue. Do you know why?» 

"... Science... it's connected to them. The memories... are they... are they _scientific experiments_?!" Vincent asks with a dawning horror, his voice a hushed whisper. 

«Some, yes, but not all. May I ask if you have any experience with weaponry?»

"Well, I served in the Defense Corps as a sniper. I don't understand, Inari-sama, what does this have to do with the memories?" Vincent asks even as he studies his twisting fingers. 

«There are things coming, Vincent, things that you and a select few must repel with the force behind your memories. On that day, you and the force will unite permanently. You are marked by the color your ancestor wore in life. Several others are also marked this way. Two reside in Germany, three in the United States, one in Iceland and one other in Japan.» she replies. «Ask quickly, I have not the power to hold for much longer like this.» 

"What are the towns they live in?" Vincent inquires, pulling out his notebook and a miraculously working pen. "I can take the search from there." 

«The German town of Nibelhiem, the United States cities of Los Angeles, near Jacksonville and near the Grand Canyon, the Icelandic town of Keflavik and the last lives in Kyoto.» 

"Will I know their names?" Vincent's genuinely worried about that. 

«You'll know them. Farewell and I wish you luck in your search.» Inari-sama gives a faint bow.

* * *

Vincent picks up more shifts, determined to follow Inari-sama's advice and the memories begin to make sense now that they're allowed to play out without being surpressed in any form. 

He joins a dojo, just to remember his rusty Combatives. 

The fact that one of the other marked shows up at his door is _definitely_ a surprise, however. 

"Are you... Vincent?" This, this, _pre-teenager_ asks him as he squints at her after scrubbing at his eyes, blanket draping over his shoulder as he tries to properly wake up. It's her eyes that have him convinced; she's got glowing purple eyes. "Oh!" 

"... Inside." he replies, busying himself with tea and the red kettle he's taken a liking to since his Kaa-san sent it to him in the mail. "How did you find me?" 

"Uhhhh, Internet." The heavily implied 'Duh' has him rolling his eyes. "I was looking through Tokyo maps and your apartment complex popped up." 

"So you traveled by yourself from Kyoto?" Vincent chides but only out of worry after the last few memories to surface. When she fiddles with her bag strap, Vincent sighs heavily and says, "Yuffie..." 

"You sound like him. The guy in my memories, I mean." She giggles as she tucks her phone into her pocket. 

"You are going to give me a heart attack if you act like what I get from my... force," he counters even as he sets down tea and snacks. "Eat, please." 

"Soooo, didja pluck my name from thin air orrrr...?" Yuffie prods with her fingers digging through the snacks to find the nori crackers. 

"My memories have been concentrating on your force lately." 

"Why do you keep calling them a force? They're obviously past lives." 

"... I spoke to Inari—" 

"Inari? Really? I got Amaterasu." Yuffie puffs up proudly before she deflates. "Ame-sama said they were past lives; our past lives. How much do I look like her?" 

"Your hair is longer than hers. She fights with a... rather large shuriken. She has motion sickness." Vincent recites everything he's seen in the past three days of sleep. "She likes knee-high Converse." 

"Oh. Well, he's got this massive gun. Umm, his hair is way longer than yours; he wears this really cool cloak, all red and stuff. Umm, he's got a brass, umm, armor glove? It looks like he can't use his left arm all that much. He's pretty quiet." Yuffie rattles off and then smacks a hand over her mouth out of sheer embarassment. 

"She likes to talk... a lot. She'll even trash-talk if she's in the right mood. And I think it's called a gauntlet. I've seen it." Vincent hums as he defends the remaining nori cracker to eat it. "... Am I going to need to keep two separate bags for you and me? Those are my favorites." 

"Wait, you're okay with me coming back?" She perks up. Vincent suddenly wants to growl and shake whoever put such a dent in the vibrant personality he knows lurks beneath the cautious front she's giving him. 

"... Of course. Unlike my counterpart, I wouldn't mind giving you my number. Call me if you need anything. Just don't call on my sleep hours. I need those." He admits even as he hands over his phone. 

"Huh?" Mid-tap, she looks up in confusion. 

"I take the graveyard shift at my jobs. I sleep during the day for the most part." 

"Ohhh. Got it; save it for dramatic pick-ups on your day off. Can I text you though?" Yuffie questions as she hands it back. 

Her number is listed under White Rose >;3 but it's obscure enough that no one aside from the remaining marked will think anything of it. 

"I suppose." 

"Gotta go now but... Thanks, I guess. It's nice to know I'm not alone." Yuffie's pauses at his door and says, "Ame-sama said to pick up more English and German; we're going to need it." 

"Inari said the same for Icelandic." He offers. 

"Got it! Bye, Vinnie!" She slams the door shut. 

"... It's Vincent."

* * *

**-Kyoto, Japan, 2010-**

He and Yuffie have an unlikely friendship but it's one Vincent doesn't want to trade for the world. 

They'll take turns talking about their memories of each other an of the others that appear, if somewhat briefly. 

Vincent travels more to Kyoto than Yuffie does to Tokyo, those first few years. It's safer for Yuffie and it's a break from the full-on bustle of Tokyo. 

It's when Yuffie's fourteen to Vincent's twenty-six that her Father enters the picture. 

Godo Kisaragi is much the same, Vincent finds, as he is in their shared memories. He loves his daughter and is very protective of her. 

"Yuffie, get away from that man." Godo arrives in blue and white traditional clothes, his zōri snapping against the pavement as he marches towards Vincent. "What are your _intentions_ with my daughter?" 

"No, he's not—" Yuffie protests as she stands between him and Godo. 

Vincent finally looks up and Godo halts a good meter before him as Vincent unfolds himself from the bench to stand behind Yuffie. "I have no intentions. She's my friend, possibly annoying little sister or cousin if you want to get technical." 

"You... I know you." 

"Hn. Yuffie, it's up to you if you want to share." Vincent says, gently squeezing her shoulder to let her know he'll support her either way. 

"Yeah but not here. You wanna see my house?" 

"If your Father doesn't mind," he allows carefully.

* * *

The Kisaragi house is nothing special when Vincent compares it to the palace Yuffie used to live it but it's palatial enough by the present day standards. 

"What, exactly, does your father do?" Vincent asks. 

"Ummm, something about Kyoto tourism? He's good at his job so... I don't really know." Yuffie says with a shrug. "He doesn't like it though." 

"Hmm." 

Godo leads them to his office, closes all the blinds and motions that they sit with a stern expression and asks, "If you don't hold any... intentions with my daughter, then why are you here?" 

"We share past lives, sir." Vincent puts it bluntly in response to Godo's accusatory tone. "We're in one another's memories and were warriors together in a time long past. We are... marked to do something in the future. There are six others like us, spread across the globe. Yuffie and I were... just the closest to one another. I come to Kyoto because I don't want Yuffie to make the trip to Tokyo alone." 

"... So that's what your mother meant by she carried a burden." Godo deflates against the edge of his desk and looks between them. "Your eyes are glowing." 

"It's what tells us apart, Father. Only the other six will glow like this." Yuffie admits. "Vincent's like an older brother, really, no romance at all. I know it looks weird but I promise he's good and gentle for all that he looks scary. No offense, Vinnie." 

"It's Vincent, Yuffie, and I'm going to start calling you chicken wing if you don't quit shortening my name." He huffs as he shoves at her face with his left hand. 

"Chicken wing? Chicken wing?!? I'll show you chicken wing, you overgrown bat—!" Yuffie growls and lunges for him with her fingers seeking out his tickle spots. 

"Mercy-ehehehe!-little White Rose-ahahaha!-mercy!" Vincent laughs before he uses his own fingers to tickle her. "Ah-ha!" 

"Eeeek! Mercy Sharpshooter, merc-eeeeeeeeheee!" Yuffie's giggling so hard she's red-faced and both of them have forgotten something, he's sure, but—

"I see I have little to fear." Godo interjects dryly. "Do I need to draw up adoption papers?" 

"Nah. It's all cool." Yuffie says as she puts her legs over Vincent's without a care. Vincent hums and only shifts so that his legs will be flat enough for her to go over. "Everyone in Kyoto thinks he's my long-lost older brother and I'm certainly not going to correct them. Are you?" 

"No, I think it wise to keep up the cover. I suppose I'll see you here every now and again." Godo directs at Vincent. 

"Yes, sir." 

"You were in the Defense Corp?" 

"I served twice, sir. Now I work night and graveyard shifts so that I can come visit Yuffie on my days off." He replies as he pillows his cheek on Yuffie's crown as she fiddles with her phone. "She used to have bullies." 

"'Used to?'" Godo presses quietly. 

"She joined a dojo. I coached her how to use words instead of her fists but sometimes... well—" 

"She always was better at conveying her point physically." Godo finishes wryly as he looks at how comfortable Yuffie is with him. "Do you want help looking for the others?" 

"No thank you; that's something we have to do ourselves. I know that Yuffie needs to work on her German and Icelandic and so do I. There are plenty of resources for English, after all, but a tutor in either of those languages wouldn't hurt, certainly." Vincent suggests.

* * *

**-Tokyo, Japan, Late 2010-**

Vincent digs into the languages, learning as much as he can get his hands on and then some. He takes to ordering books in his target languages and reading them aloud to Yuffie on his days off in the correct languages. 

He helps out tourists in Tokyo, picking up the way they speak their native tongue and incorporating it into his own. 

It's when he gets offered a job in New York that he pauses, finding that he needs to consult Inari. 

The memories are getting stronger and stronger, nearly overwhelming as the Vincent of the past begins to catch up with the Vincent of the present. 

"I need some time to think, please, and perhaps give my notice. Will three weeks work?" He asks in English, glancing at the ginger-haired woman. 

"Take a month if necessary," she says easily, "I really do need someone who's trained like you are and I would love to have you on my staff. I know Mr. Stark would appreciate someone to practice his Japanese with for sure. Here is my card, here's my email and a phone for your troubles."

* * *

The card reads: Ms. Potts, CEO of Stark Industries. 

The Stark phone has a pre-programmed number into it. 

He shuts it in a drawer and then leaves it.

* * *

He doesn't get to Inari but makes his way straight to Kyoto to pick Yuffie up with his motorcycle. 

He parks far enough away from the shrine that they have to walk but Vincent drops his yen into the box and claps his hands twice in prayer. 

«I see you've found one another.» Amaterasu-sama teases quietly. 

"Yes, Amaterasu-sama. I... I recieved an offer from a CEO in America but I don't want to leave Yuffie—" 

«Perhaps now would be the time to tell you to take the offer. I would highly suggest taking Yuffie with you, actually, and seek out the others in the United States. The event is closing in on New York, it seems, in less than a few years time. Your pursuit of languages has left you in a unique position. Take advantage of it. The only other thing I can tell you is to be wary of S.H.I.E.L.D. and of the beast that slumbers beneath it's armor.» Amaterasu-sama murmurs. «Good luck.»

She fades into brightly-colored autumn leaves that blend in with the leaves blowing across the shrine. 

Vincent and Yuffie share a look before they snap into rock-paper-scissors to not tell Godo. 

Yuffie groans when she loses two out of three.

* * *

Godo takes the news with unsurprised grace and only offers schools or tutors for Yuffie. 

"I thought this might happen," he says when Vincent raises a brow at his calm acceptance. "I took it upon myself to do research in every major city that you might end up in. New York is not too far, all things considered. I can still come and visit my daughter."

* * *

When Vincent gives notice, after nearly five years of working there, his co-workers surprise him by being interested. 

"Why now?" 

"... I got an offer I couldn't refuse." 

"Doing what?" 

"Translating." 

"... Oh. I didn't know that was a thing you did." 

"Mm." 

"Which languages?" 

"Japanese and German." Vincent omits the Icelandic and dares not mention anything else. 

"Oh, cool."

* * *

He settles all of his household things and then turns on the Stark phone. It scans his face and Vincent very nearly throws it. 

""Facial recognition complete."" The droll English voice that came from the phone has him warily eyeing it. ""Would you like me to contact Ms. Potts, sir?"

"... Yes, please." He says in English, then asks, "I don't suppose you could remove the scan of my face?" 

""User security preference is voice-activated?"" 

"If you have the capability, yes, please." 

""Removing scan,"" the voice replies, ""Please state your given name."" 

"Vincent." 

""Passcode now 'Vincent' and scan fully removed. Ms. Potts is on the other end."" 

"Oh, I forgot the time difference! May I know your name?" Ms. Potts is sitting in a bright room somewhere in the US, the projection ahead of it's time. 

"Vincent Valentine, ma'am, and no worries about the time difference. Ah, this may be an... odd question but what is the voice?" He questions. 

"Oh you mean J.A.R.V.I.S.? That's Tony Stark's AI and for use for personnel that I hand-pick. Are you all set?" Ms. Potts seems eager to have him on her team. 

"I have a... request." Vincent hesitates briefly before forging ahead. "May I bring my adoptive sister?" 

"How old and do you have a school in New York set up or do you want my PA to do that? You've already got an apartment outside of Stark Industries all set up." Ms. Potts appears to be doing several things at once. 

His employer is a very busy woman, it seems. 

"Fourteen and we have a school lined up already. She's following in my footsteps," he keeps it brief, knowing that she's likely got better things to do. "I thought it rude to not ask. She's very excited." 

"Of course, of course. Would you like a Stark jet or...?" Ms. Potts asks absently, her hand on her Stark device. 

"Commercial is fine, ma'am. I look forward to working with you in the future, Ms. Potts." He gives her a short bow and hits the end call button. "AI, hmm? I wonder how long it'll take Yuffie to annoy you." 

""Yuffie, sir?"" 

"My little sister. Can she have access as well or is it restricted to SI employees?" 

""Ms. Va-""

"Kisaragi. She's not blood-related family but I do have temporary guardianship." He corrects absently. 

""Ms. Kisaragi may ask as many questions as she likes, sir, though discretion is advised on Stark Phones."" J.A.R.V.I.S. states efficiently. 

"Hmm. Thank you." He turns off the phone and removes the battery, laying them both in the thickest socks he can find. 

He turns the phone on again in the morning to recieve an email with his new address in Queens, New York. 

'Let me know if this isn't suitable and we'll upgrade.' is the private note Ms. Potts leaves after the official email.

* * *

**-Queens, New York, United States, Early 2011-**

Vincent and Yuffie look at the plain door and shrug. 

Inside it's furnished with, surprisingly, Japanese furniture, the kotatsu in the living room a great comfort. 

He's got a single box and his luggage, whereas Yuffie's got five giant boxes as well as her luggage. 

They unpack to Yuffie's J-pop, lowered out of deference to their new neighbors. Vincent's room is nearly bare but Yuffie insists on storing all of her action figures in his room with the admonishment of, "Don't look at me like that, your room looks more like an office than a bedroom and you know it." 

His red kettle is matching Yuffie's weird novelty mugs, his black plates with her kintsukuroi glasses and the fridge a mix of art prints and Yuffie's goofy scribbles she does in school of past memories. 

"How long would it take you to drive an AI up the wall, considering our experience?" Vincent posits in her room, far away from the phone. 

He doesn't trust it, not for a second, especially after the automatic facial-scan. 

"Depends on the time-line," Yuffie points out. "I drove Cait Sith up the wall in, I think, three months? It also depends on the AI's creator. Also, can we paint the walls?" 

"His creator is Tony Stark. It'll take every last ounce of your skill-set." He counters even as he thinks about it. "We'll have to peruse the rental agreement for that but it's a tentative yes from me." 

"Tony Stark may be obnoxious but no one bests the Great Ninja Yuffie unless she allows it." The grin she flashes him brings up a memory of her in full Imperial gear, sometime in her late thirties, running from a blond—likely one of the other marked—cackling as she goes down the hallway. 

"... Somehow I believe you can actually out-do Stark." Vincent admits.

* * *

**-Stark Industries, New York, United States, Early 2011-**

Vincent walks into the building and shakes the snow off on the mat before unwinding his blue scarf and unbuttoning the deep brown trench-coat that Yuffie somehow manages to coax onto his shoulders as he's leaving the apartment every morning. 

He shows his badge, goes through security and makes his way up to his office. 

Normally he's translating legal documents but today there's a sticky-note on his glass office door with a note in Ms. Potts' own hand. 

_'Mr. Stark has caught wind of you and wishes to meet you. You can refuse, obviously, but it's a decent networking opportunity and Mr. Stark does speak a fair amount of Japanese._

_-Ms. Potts'_

Vincent adjusts his fake frames, blinks and mulls it over as he removes the sticky note with care not to leave more work for the custodial staff. He tucks the note in his desk and looks up when someone knocks on his door. 

"You're Pep's new translator? Huh. She's got good taste in men, clearly, or she would've picked someone not you—" 

"May I help you, Mr. Stark?" Vincent cuts in firmly, raising a brow when Mr. Stark leans in closer, squints and then laughs. 

"You sound like the male version of Pep. I like you already. Well, I'd like you more if your kid sister wasn't trying to drive my poor AI in circles." Stark pouts and suddenly, Ms. Potts' warning that Mr. Stark takes interest in random employees rings true. 

"And what is it that you find Yuffie doing," Vincent pulls out his workload, continuing in a tone of voice perfected some thousands of years ago and not tampered with since. "that you would seek me out during office hours?" 

"She's asking my baby weird questions! Like, genuinely weird questions. J.A.R.V.I.S. actually asked me for an upgrade, which, by the way, he _never_ does, just because he wanted to keep up with her questions." 

"May I ask what she's been positing to your AI?" He inquires absently. "Would you like her to cease and desist?" 

"She's asking if he had a past life and if he has any memories from before." 

"Hn, that's just Yuffie being Yuffie. She is, by turns, both a teenager and an adult and asks questions where she can if I cannot answer them. I do apologize if your day has been interrupted, Mr. Stark." He admits frankly. 

"You haven't spoken Japanese to me once, this whole time." 

"English is your choice language for communicating aside from binary with your work. I merely sought to make you comfortable rather than force my own native tongue upon you for my own sake." He replies swiftly at that, looking up from his keyboard to look Mr. Stark in the eyes over his fake frames. "I speak enough of it at home to not lose it." 

"So you wouldn't mind if I sharpened my admittedly-rusty Japanese on you?" Mr. Stark prods, still keeping his distance. 

"If it please you, Mr. Stark." He responds in Japanese. 

"Oh. Oh, right now! Right. Umm." 

"Take your time, Mr. Stark." He types away at the translation, German to English and taking pains to include American English turns of phrase. 

"Either your hair's really long or you put in extensions," Mr. Stark says in Japanese shortly after Vincent finishes up the first document. 

"It's long enough for this style," he agrees, absently touching the hairstick Yuffie bought for him in Kyoto years ago. She's got a matching one but her hair is no longer long enough for it; she's followed in her past life's footsteps and cut it short. 

"Am I really boring or are you ignoring me in the hopes that I'll leave you be?" Mr. Stark inquires point-blank. 

"I've work to finish, Mr. Stark, but I am not adverse to conversation." He counters, "I only hope that you don't mind pauses between answers." 

Mr. Stark sits down on his desk and Vincent only pulls his paperwork closer but leaves the space to Mr. Stark that is not already occupied by paperwork. 

"So, I'm gonna bounce ideas off of you and all you have to do is hum, I guess, in the appropriate spaces." 

"Understood, Mr. Stark."

* * *

Ms. Potts comes in on the tail end of Mr. Stark's monologue. "Mr. Valentine, I see you've been quite busy." 

"Hn, only a little." Vincent responds even as he finishes the last of the paperwork. "Mr. Stark proves to be interesting company, Ms. Potts, though half of what he's relayed is above my head, frankly, and difficult to decipher in any of the languages I know." 

"Only half?" Mr. Stark perks up. 

"No, Tony, leave Mr. Valentine to work in peace." Ms. Potts nips his eagerness in the bud and for that Vincent is grateful. 

He really doesn't want to get into why he knows the things he does and why he's not fond of people who work with medical equipment or have medical degrees. 

"I've finished the agreements, Ms. Potts, is there anything you need at the moment that I may take care of?" Vincent requests genially. 

"Hmm. I don't suppose you could help Ms. Pang with the guided tours? She's got her hands full with the classes of children that come through but the adults shouldn't give you too much trouble." Ms. Potts knows every inch of her chosen territory and knows it well, considering she used to be Mr. Stark's PA. "Only if you'd like to, seeing that you're already done." 

"It's no trouble, Ms. Potts, Mr. Stark." Vincent stands and stretches carefully, well aware that he's towering over both of them. He gives a short bow to them both and leaves with a simple, "Good afternoon." 

"Where'd you even find him?" Mr. Stark asks as Vincent turns the corner. 

"Wouldn't you like to know," counters Ms. Potts, the slight dip into amusement making Vincent smile as he seeks out Ms. Pang.

* * *

Pang takes his simplistic summary of what Ms. Potts asked of him in stride and says, "Ms. Potts misses nothing at SI headquarters. I do need help and the adults are covered by my assistant, Ms. An. How are you with children?" 

"... I do alright with them." 

"Good; I'll have you take the second graders then." 

"Ah, I don't understand the..." He's working on his language skills all the time but the subject of the American school system has yet to show up. 

"Oh. Right. Umm, they're Year Two." She corrects and Vincent nods. 

"Eight-year-olds. I see. Thank you, Ms. Pang." 

"I didn't catch your name but Ms. Potts gave you mine...?" Ms. Pang questions. 

"Vincent Valentine." 

"Pang So-Yi. Brace yourself, they're rather... excitable."

* * *

Vincent's request for some time off is easily granted halfway through the year, coinciding with Yuffie's summer vacation. They rent a car, heading for the Deep South first. 

They find the first in Georgia, working at an autoshop just before the Florida border. Something's wrong with the car and they essentially limp into the shop with three tires and a squeaky brake. 

"Who the hell is out in this Georgia heat? Ah swear, folks jus' don't come like they used ta—" Vincent's in the process of getting out of the car when the loud voice nearly chokes. "Ah'll be damned. Ah thought you two'd never come." 

Cid Highwind looks much the same as he does in their memories, goggles, cigarette and all. 

"Captain." Vincent says evenly. 

"Old man!" Yuffie crows and suddenly all three of them are hugging like long-lost friends. 

"Aww, no, what'd you do to this poor rental?" Cid grumbles as he walks around the car after their hug gets too hot to tolerate. 

"We drove on a feeling, Cid, all the way here." Vincent supplies even as he watches their old friend mutter about cars and how people don't treat them right. "There are more of us." 

"Ah thought that might be th' case." Cid scratches at his chin and says, "Tell ya what, Ah'll fix this rental an' you turn it in. You got an idea of where the others are?" 

"One in California, one near the Grand Canyon. I think it might be Nanaki." 

"One of us is gonna have to keep him with us. Don't suppose you've got the room?" Cid questions as he holds his callused hand out for the rental's keys. 

"We'll take him. Vin-" 

"What did I tell you about that nickname of yours?" Vincent murmurs lowly in Japanese before he switches back to keep Cid in the loop. "We have a contract that allows us to do a great deal to our apartment, though unfortunately Nanaki must be registered as a pet." 

"Yeah, Ah thought so." Cid grimaces at the thought of trying to put a leash on Nanaki. Both Vincent and Yuffie are uncomfortable with it as well; Nanaki is a sentient being in his own right and to subject him to human ways galls them all. "Well, Ah'll fix this for a reduced cost an' close up shop t' join ya on th' road." 

"Of course," Vincent agrees. 

"Restaurant down th' street's nice. Jus' tell 'em you're my friends an' you'll be alright." Cid hums as he starts the car. 

Vincent's doing partial work on the road when an unknown number shows up on screen. 

"Valentine speaking," he says carefully. 

"Oh, good, I managed to get it right on the first try," the relieved female voice has him doing a double take.

Only one person has that voice, as far as he knows, "... Aerith?" 

"You _do_ remember me!" She laughs, her joy very infectious. 

He's missed her something awful, upon closer reflection. 

"Yes. Let me put you on speaker," Vincent turns his phone to speaker mode and turns down the music as they drive towards the Grand Canyon. "You're free to continue, Aerith." 

""Who else is there?"" She asks and Yuffie squeals. ""Yuffie, you and..?"" 

"'M drivin', flower girl, but don't ya think for a second Ah ain't appreciatin' your voice." Cid replies gruffly, clearing his throat. "Where ya at?" 

""Well, I'm on a gap year before college in Denver, Colorado. I don't suppose you could come pick me up?"" She asks with a sheepish laugh. ""I'm trying to make it easier on everyone."" 

"Mm, that's thoughtful." Vincent replies before he pauses. "Have you heard from..." 

""Cloud and Tifa? Not yet but I get the feeling that they're here for Nanaki or they will be shortly. Good old intuition, before you ask, and they're okay."" She finishes. ""Looks like Barret's the last pick-up, huh?"" 

"Why th' hell he thought Cali was a good place to go is beyond me." Cid huffs as he takes the exit to head for Aerith instead of Nanaki. 

"We can't help where we're born, I think. Yuffie and I were in two separate Japanese cities before she found me. It's only recently that we've made our way here." He confesses with a shrug. 

Cid does a double-take from the driver's seat and then shrugs as well. "Guess th' important thing is t' get all of us together." 

""Yes, that's the important thing. I'll see you all soon!"" Aerith inputs before she hangs up. 

She texts him right after, giving them the address where she is so that they don't have to use more gas searching for her. 

Vincent saves her number under 'Flower Girl' and snorts at the fact that Cid has somehow managed to add his own in the short time they've been together under 'Pilot' to match Yuffie's number. 

Apparently he's 'Gunslinger' under both of their phones but he only smiles when they show him.

* * *

**-Denver, Colorado, United States, Mid-2011-**

Aerith nearly tackles him when she spots them waiting in the hotel's lobby. 

"Hello Aerith," he says and then they're all hugging, Vincent's eyes nearly half-closed in contentment. 

"This is really nice. I was alone for so long but... now I'm not. Iceland is great, I'll show you around sometime, hmm?" She sniffs, wiping happy tears from her cheeks with the heel of her hand. 

"Aerith, are we traveling or—?" Three others turn the corner and see Aerith in the middle of their pile. "Oh. Is that what you meant by a family reunion?" 

"They're not blood-family, no, but as good as." She points out even as she holds onto Yuffie's hand. "I'm good. You three keep going." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, go, go. You're going to miss your bus if you stay." She warns and they yelp as they bolt for the entrance. "They're great friends but they're not AVALANCHE." 

"Nothing wrong with a group of friends that isn't us. At least th' age differences are much smaller this time around?" Cid comments. 

"Mm, much smaller; especially for Vincent." Aerith teases. 

"Wait, seriously? Vinnie used to be an old man?" Yuffie whisper-hisses and then Vincent's looming. 

"Chicken wing," he chides, "now you suffer." 

Vincent's fingers unerringly find her tickle spots and she shrieks her laughter. "Eeeeeek! Help?" She begs Aerith and then Cid, both of whom shrug before she bursts into giggles as he hefts her over his shoulder. 

"... Ready?" 

"We better go before you burst into flames from all of the cougars looking our way thanks to your Henley." Aerith says dryly, guiding him around the patrons because he's got Yuffie slung over one shoulder and Aerith's ruck over his other one. 

"Cougars?" Vincent asks in confusion and Aerith grins wide. 

"Older women who like men younger than them. You fit the bill now, remember?" She points out and Vincent's expression sours briefly. 

"Thank you but no thank you." He grumbles as he he sets Yuffie down in front of the rental car and shifts Aerith's ruck so that he can open the trunk. 

He puts her ruck next to his duffel and Yuffie's cute backpack that's stuffed to bursting with necessities. Cid's duffel rests on the other side of Yuffie's bag, leaving room for the others. 

"Still hung up on a certain pair?" Aerith asks gently. 

"No matter the life, I think, I'm always going to know them. Star-crossed doesn't even come close to what we have." he sighs. "Alright, rock-paper-scissors for the drive to the Canyon. Best six out of nine takes the last stretch." 

"Nope! Vincent's out of the roster cause he drove the last eight hours here. It's just between the three of us." Yuffie says before Vincent can go any further. When he opens his mouth to protest, she cuts in with, "You're not where you were once; you still need to sleep." 

Vincent surrenders with his hands raised and crawls into the back seat, snuggling with the cloud pillow and heart plushie Yuffie bought him at two separate rest stops.

* * *

His dreams are full of two people; Cloud and Tifa, he assumes, and his eyes snap open at the roar of a motorcycle. 

The motorcycle is keeping pace with them without being intrusive and then Vincent just... He _knows_ , the same way he did with Yuffie and Cid and Aerith. 

The de facto leader of AVALANCHE and their strongest melee fighter are here with them. 

Something awakens in him at that, something that's crooning at the sound of the motorcycle. 

He slides back into the oblivion of sleep but not without a tiny smile present on his lips.

* * *

**-Near the Grand Canyon, United States, mid-2011-**

Vincent stretches in the back of the car, somehow unincumbered by Yuffie snoring away on his legs. When he sits up, a gloved, somehow familiar hand sticks through the back window and offers him a strong black tea. 

"Thank you... Cloud." He says and glowing blue eyes peer down from the edge of the window and crinkle at the corners. 

"I remember that much; you were practically useless without tea or coffee for a good long while after you got out of the habit of sleeping for decades at a time." Cloud murmurs and Vincent wants to kiss him for his thoughtfulness. 

He's been checking his instincts for so long that he flings caution to the wind and leans up to kiss Cloud. 

The pink lips are wind-chapped and only a little soft but Vincent can't be bothered to care when this was the man he loved in the past and somehow his heart still sings for him. 

Well, him and one other. 

Tifa giggles when they part, both of them a little dizzy from the lack of air. 

"I see you remember that much," she hums as she leans down for her own kiss, the faint taste of chapstick making Vincent smile into the kiss. 

Vincent gets out of the car as humanly fast as possible and sets down his tea to be enfolded into a hug that he's missed for a very long time. 

"I don't... I don't want to let go." He whispers hoarsely. "I want you to come home with me but I cannot ask that of you, not when we're charged with another world-saving mission." 

Tifa pokes his chest and then Cloud does too, both of them reciting an old phrase, "Dilly-dally, shilly-shally. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Vin." 

"Thank you," he murmurs, reaching back for his tea and drinking it as Aerith and Yuffie emerge from a motel door and Cid comes from another one. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were an incredibly large and satisfied cat." Aerith says as she passes them on the way to the new rental. "Breakfast is down the road."

* * *

It's when they're on the rim of the Grand Canyon that a rather large, emaciated dog comes up to Aerith and licks at her hand. 

The group huddles off to one side and Vincent quietly asks, "Nanaki?" 

The large red-n-white dog nods slowly, the great head somehow leonine still; he barks rather loudly when Animal Control shows up. "Is this your dog?" 

"He is now," Vincent makes a show of petting Nanaki and Nanaki wags his tail until the officers approach. Nanaki buries his face against Vincent's leg and whines, tail tucking under in an impressive display of acting. "I'll take him to a vet to get him better and then I'm taking him home with me." 

They all pile into the car except Cloud and Tifa, who hop onto the bike. 

"So, what are you exactly? There's some husky in there or you wouldn't have blue eyes. What else?" Aerith asks as she parts the fluffy fur to see the beginnings of a deep red mane. Nanaki apparently answers and she giggles. "Of course you'd pick the smart breed, huh? He's husky and collie and that's what'll show on his paperwork. He asks politely that you don't cut off his, well, you know." 

"It's bad enough that you're subjected to human laws as it is, Nanaki. I'm not going to degrade you any further if I can help it. Is blue still your favorite?" Vincent reassures. "You'll be living with Yuffie and I." 

Nanaki warbles softly and lays his head on Vincent's left thigh. 

"He says yes and he hopes that you'll spruce it up with a few fake feathers so that his transition doesn't go quite so badly." Aerith translates, a smile threatening to break free of her calm demeanor. "He says that he won't mind kibble or the occasional real meat treat. He promises to be a model dog but warns that the breeds he picked are very energetic. He suggests sending he and Yuffie on long walks to tire both of them out." 

"Duly noted, Nanaki. We'll use your... other name once you transition for the threat. I don't want anyone not us catching wind of you if I can help it." Vincent replies to Nanaki himself. 

The three in the back shuddered involuntarily and Cid glances back with a sympathetic expression as Yuffie reaches back to pet Nanaki. 

Vincent waits while they hydrate Nanaki and then gets shown into a room. 

"He's healthy aside from some weight and dehydration issues. He's friendly enough towards my staff. You brought him in and said something about taking him home with you?" 

"Yes sir. He made a bee-line for me." As if right on cue, Nanaki yodels and warbles loudly, enough to be heard in the exam room. "May I see him?" 

"Of course." Nanaki's tail beats double-time when he sees Vincent and lays down at his feet, quiet as you please, with no fuss at all. Two sets of eyes meet, red to blue and Vincent gives the faintest huff of laughter. "Well then. He's go no microchip, no collar, no vaccines. If you want to leave him with us, we'll hand him over to you officially. Did you want him neu-" 

Nanaki lifts his head and growls, low and threatening, at the start of the word. 

"Neu-" 

Growl. 

"Neu-" 

Longer, more threatening growl. 

"I suppose you want him intact?" 

Nanaki huffs and lays his head back down on Vincent's boot. 

"It would seem so. I'll leave him with you for a few days so that he gets back into some sort of shape and then I'll take him home with me. Cost is no issue so do what you can to make him better." Vincent murmurs as he scratches behind his old friend's ears. "Stay here and get better. I'll be back in two days. Please behave." 

Nanaki woofs politely and then the vet blinks and shrugs.

* * *

Two days later, Nanaki is looking much better and he trots over to Vincent with a satisfied boof. 

"I've never seen a dog do that before but I suppose there's a first time for everything." The vet admits. "Here are all of his shot records, he's good for three years on everything, he's about ten, we think, judging by his joints and his bloodwork came back great so no underlying issues so far. He's not too friendly with others but he was well-behaved and did as directed. You're one very lucky man, Mr. Valentine, I hope you know that."

Vincent clips on the collar and the ties on a bandana over it with feathers tucked just out of sight. Nanaki settles even further and accepts the leash with minimum fuss. "I know." 

"The only other thing I think I can recommend is that you feed him both wet and dry food if he eats it. His weight is still lower than I would like but I suspect you'll make sure he reaches the proper weight." 

"I'll be sure to do so. Thank you Dr. Morrison." Vincent agrees and then they're free of the vet office. "I know this charade grates on you. I'll do my best to take you to all of the leash-free parks that I can and you can pick out your own food at the store, alright?" 

Nanaki huffs but his eyes close briefly in the sign of affection of his true species. 

They get into the car and head for a pet store. Yuffie amuses herself and Nanaki by taking pictures of him and her together on the car ride, posting them on the new app she'd picked out a year ago in Japan. 

He chuckles at her making a tag just for her and Nanaki's pictures; #adventuresofnanakiandthegreatninja. She posts video of Nanaki carrying his own basket and poking at his food with his nose for them to put into the basket. 

Yuffie's followers all coo over Nanaki and she shows Nanaki with something approaching glee. "Look, you're really popular! I bet all anyone is going to want to talk about to me is you and my costumes at NYCC." 

"NYCC?" Vincent asks, raising a brow at the acronym. 

"It's a convention. Can we go? I'll make the costumes and everything and all you have to do is stand and look pretty." Yuffie pleads and Vincent sighs. 

"I suppose so," Vincent sighs. "We'll have to find something for Nanaki to wear as well." 

"Ooo, oo, FMA!" 

"... That's a little scary that you have that on hand as a suggestion. I take it we're going as either Ishvalans or coming from Xing?" Vincent snorts. 

"Mm-hmm!" 

Nanaki makes an inquiring warble. "Long story short, it's an animated story set in an older period of history in an alternate world. It involves alchemy, something similar to our magic but not, and it's actually quite a good story. I don't suppose you can read in this form?" The Firewolf-but-not shakes his head in the negative. "I'll read it to you then." 

Nanaki rumbles at that, the sound caught between a purr and a growl.

* * *

**-San Franscisco, California, United States, mid-2011-**

Vincent takes Nanaki on a walk through the city, not focusing on anything but finding the last of their team. 

The others have split and gone further down and up the coast in search of Barret. 

Nanaki nudges his thigh and pants pointedly. 

"Ah, yes, we probably need to drink water and eat, don't we?" he murmurs. Nanaki's stopped both of them in front of a dog-friendly restaurant. "We'll stop here for now." 

It takes nearly fifteen minutes for them to get in but Nanaki is polite and tucks himself under the table. 

Vincent orders and then orders a second dish without seasoning for Nanaki and a bowl of water, if they didn't mind? They don't mind, it turns out, and the chef comes out briefly to see Nanaki enjoy the meat and rice bowl. 

They eat, Vincent pays and right as they're leaving, a little girl bumps into Nanaki and falls down. 

She looks up at Vincent and Vincent remembers her as Marlene. Marlene, of course, dusts herself off and apologizes solemnly to Nanaki, who lolls his out his tongue as though laughing; because where Marlene is, Barret is sure to follow. 

"Marlene?! Marlene, honey?!" Barret skids to a halt at the sight of Marlene petting Nanaki, Vincent on the other end of the leash with a bemused expression. "Marlene, you're in a lot of trouble—" 

"But Daddy, _look_ , the puppy and the superhero are here." she counters. Vincent mouths 'superhero?' to Nanaki as Barret's jaw works. 

He looks them over and then he starts laughing. "So they are, baby girl, so they are. How th' hell did you find me?" 

"I followed a feeling and Nanaki insisted on water." 

"Where are the rest?" Barret asks as he lifts Marlene to settle her on his hip. 

"Split between Los Angeles and the city above this one." Vincent replies, pulling out his phone to text Aerith and Cloud that he'd finally found Barret and Marlene in San Franscisco. "Aerith, Cid and Yuffie are in Los Angeles and Cloud and Tifa are above us." 

"You still hung up on them?" Barret teases as they make their way over to the park across the way from the restaurant. 

"Mm, as much as things change, some stay the same." he replies easily. 

"You are one dedicated mother...trucker." Barret censors himself around Marlene and Vincent smiles at the familiar way Barret cares for his daughter. "She's adopted, by the way; my best friend at the fire department passed away and left her behind. He named me her guardian so I just adopted her." 

"... I see. My condolences." 

"You might be the first to actually mean it, Valentine." Barret snorts wryly. "Aside from our fire team, that is. I see you've got a phone this time around." 

"Yuffie was my first number, it turns out, this time. We were the closest to each other aside from Cloud and Tifa, who are from the same town." Vincent admits as Nanaki rests his head on Vincent's thigh. "I don't know who I'm going to be when my past and present selves join." 

"Same person you've always been, Valentine, but probably a little more adjusted. Hell, we all are. Too bad none of us can take this to a therapist without sounding like we need a lot of meds." Barret adds with a sigh. 

"I don't think anyone escaped Sephiroth or ShinRa entirely unharmed, to be perfectly honest with you. The only exceptions would be Marlene and perhaps Reeve." Vincent confesses with a shake of his head. "I was going to say Elena too but the Remnants got to her and Tseng." 

"... Y'know, I think you're right." Barret murmurs with surprise in his tone.

* * *

All of them meet up on Crissy Field and it feels a little anti-climatic, somehow. 

"Hmm. I don't think that event's happened yet." Aerith murmurs after all eight of them stand in silence for a long moment. 

"Inari-sama said it happens in New York." Vincent admits after they lapse back into silence. 

"Oh." 

"Ame-sama said it's pretty soon but how soon is soon? She said that in 2010 but it's 2011 now. Aerith?" Yuffie volunteers carefully. 

Aerith's got her hands dug into the sand and they all know what she's doing so they gather casually enough to block her from sight. 

"... Okay, the Planet clearly missed me. She says she can't sense more than a year out but that it'll occur within that time frame. She also..." Aerith pauses, tilts her head and nods. "She also says we'll have allies; five from her and one from a Realm beyond ours. He's somewhere in Nevada right now but she's rather fussy right now." 

"That's fourteen of us, protecting the Planet but from what are we protecting her from?" Cid finally manages to speak. "If it took all eight of us to defeat JENOVA and Cloud to beat Sephiroth, what is so bad that she needs _more than us_?" 

"Her need is great enough to pull us from our rest within the LifeStream. I think it's not going to be a fair fight without us." He says solemnly.

* * *

**-New York City, New York, United States, early-2012-**

Over the course of the next half year, AVALANCHE makes it's way to New York in bits and pieces until all of them meet again in a café. 

Vincent greets both Cloud and Tifa with a small kiss, smiling against their cheeks when they return it. 

They formulate plans over the city, pretending it's a fantasy land map so that no one gets suspicious. 

Aerith giggles when Vincent proposes a DnD group. "That's actually quite clever," she says, eyeing the map that looks like a fantasy one to everyone who isn't them. "because it gives us a social engagement and it gives us an excuse to hang out. So, who's running it?" 

"I will," Cloud replies and all seven turn to stare at him. "What? I've done online campaigns before so this should be a piece of cake, right?" 

"He's a dork but he's my dork." Tifa laughs and presses her knee to Vincent's under the table. "Cloud is the Dungeon Master and then teaches the next one." 

"Alright but you're gonna have to explain how the magic works. You know I'm not good with that sort of thing..." Barret throws in as he keeps Marlene in his lap. "Plus you're gonna have to find a way to make Mar here invincible."

They make it work somehow, meeting bi-weekly at their various apartments. 

Everyone ignores that Cloud, Tifa and Vincent are in each other's laps most of the time because they can't do it in public. 

Vincent's damn near blissful with his partners in his lap and almost forgets that they're here for a reason.

* * *

**Battle of New York, New York City, New York, mid-2012-**

Stark Tower evacuates promptly and Vincent starts heading home when it hits him. 

Past and present merge in an unmonitored side-alley in New York, Vincent's body bowing with the force of his two lives. 

When he stands up, he's in his old AVALANCHE clothes; red cloak fluttering in a wind no one knows the source of, enormous gun strapped to his right thigh with his gauntlet back on his left arm. 

"Need a lift?" Cloud says, tilting down his sunglasses to smile briefly at Vincent, Fenrir sticking out like a sore thumb in all of the chaos. 

"... No, I'm good." He purrs with a wink of his own, launching easily off the ground to perch on a skyscraper. The source of the trouble looks like it's on top of Stark Tower but Vincent's more concerned with the creatures coming out of the portal. "Protega V!" 

He protects as much as he can with that, knowing that he needs the rest of his magic to face those creatures. 

All over the city, similar bubbles appear, as coordinated as AVALANCHE has ever been. 

The creatures slam directly into the bubbles and shriek as they fall. 

Vincent takes aim and shoots Cerberus—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

The creatures die easily enough, he finds, but they know he's here now. 

"Uh, Cap, it looks like we've got an ally on your ten!" 

""Tell them to keep the Chitauri within three blocks of the Tower?!"" 

Iron Man flies up to his position, the face mask coming up for a brief moment. "Hey, uh, are you an ally?" 

"I am; my friends and I will help you protect the Planet." Vincent replies. 

"I have about a million questions but those can wait. Can you keep those things within three blocks of the Tower?" Mr. Stark asks point blank. 

"Yes. Now go!" He makes quick work of the monsters tailing Iron Man and then lands near Cloud. "Keep them within three city blocks of the Tower. I'll tell the others." 

"Got it!" Cloud answers and jumps to slice a flying vehicle in half with a savage grin on his face. 

Vincent brings the message to AVALANCHE, kills as many as he can as a human and then _shifts_ into Chaos.

* * *

Vincent shifts back to himself, MP exhaustion clear even as he removes the Protega V from the spot he chose. 

"So, who are you guys... and gals?" Mr. Stark blurts after the groups face one another. 

"We're AVALANCHE. You think the Planet didn't have her own WEAPONs? We're her last defense and she calls on us when she's got no recourse left. It's not the first time we've defeated an alien force in her name but certainly the first one in a long time." Cloud tells the Avengers matter-of-factly. "I'm SOLDIER, the leader." 

"Cetra, the healer." Aerith gives a little curtsey. 

"The White Rose, public menace at your service." Yuffie gives them a wink, spinning her shuriken before turning green from her motion sickness. 

"Melee Magician," Tifa introduces herself after she catches Yuffie, "the hand-to-hand expert and co-leader after SOLDIER." 

"Red XIII, the Beast at your service." Nanaki says, his tail flame bright and merry as he swings it with pride. 

"Dragoon, the spearman and the greatest pilot." Cid points out with a chuckle. 

"Cannon," Barret says as his gun folds back into his prosthetic hand. Mr. Stark almost drools at that and Vincent almost laughs at his employer. "the investor and innovator." 

"And you?" The only woman on the other team pins him with a cool stare. 

"Gunslinger," he murmurs, "the embodiment of Chaos." 

"Embodiment of Chaos?" The one that smells like lightning asks sharply. 

Vincent wants to roll his eyes but shifts again, Chaos coming forward with a grin. **"The Avengers, hmm? Now the Planet has two sets of protectors. Thunderer, do not question the Realm you have known only a short time. Midgard has secrets left that you may not seek."**

When he shifts again, Cloud catches him before he falls. "He is... all of the Chaos on Earth given living form. He's... quite opinionated but... I suppose that comes of living for millennia." 

"Anywho," Mr. Stark groans as he shifts in the suit, "anyone got any juice left to get the suit moving? I'm in the mood for shwarma." 

Cloud murmurs quietly, " _Thundara_." and flicks his fingers at the suit. The lightning hits the suit at a calibrated voltage and Mr. Stark's suit hums to life again. "That should hold you until you need to get out of it. Cetra, any serious injuries?" 

"Let's see, one broken ankle, broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, motion sickness and poor Gunslinger's out of MP entirely." Aerith rattles off easily, "Nothing I can't fix though!" She skips over to the redhead first, the light of a Cura at her fingertips. "I'm not going to hurt you so you can stop the hard side-eye." 

She moves through the Avengers, tutting at the other leader (also blond) and tapping his ribs as well before she stops in front of Vincent and hands him an Elixir. 

"Now everyone can move under their own power." Cloud hums as Vincent's strength returns. 

"Right. SOLDIER, I'm Captain America, that's Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye." The two leaders shake hands and Cloud only grins when the Captain tightens his grip briefly before doing the same. Tifa holds out her own hand and crushes the Captain's with a sweet, soft smile. 

Captain America looks at Cloud and Tifa with respect after that display. 

Vincent walks behind the two groups and is joined by the Hulk, surprisingly. 

When the Hulk begins to shrink, he understands why, "Dr. Banner but you can call me Bruce."

"I sincerely hope you are not a medical doctor." Vincent expresses cautiously. 

"No, though people seem to think I'm one of those doctors. I earned my PhD in gamma-radiation." Bruce sighs. "The Hulk is a result of science gone wrong." 

"I see," Vincent hums. "I suppose... we are much alike." 

"And how's that?" 

"Both of us are the result of science taken too far." Vincent assesses before he catches up to his loves, both of them taking a hand each, leaving Bruce with a thoughtful expression.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
